12 Days of Regulatory Insights: Day 9 - Trends in the Tobacco Industry — Regulatory Oversight Podcast
Exploring the Potential of Georgia's Merchant Acquirer Limited Purpose Bank Charter — Payments Pros: The Payments Law Podcast
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5 Key Takeaways | Emerging Technology in Retail and Consumer Goods
Lessons for Health, Beauty & Wellness Companies [Part 3]: When to Consider Acquiring a Distressed Company
How to Find Your Signature Scent with Christophe Laudamiel: Fashion Counsel
Like other areas of law, intellectual property (IP) is often depicted as part of a plot point in popular culture, such as movies and television. In addition, lP is often mentioned in the mass media, particularly when any...more
I don’t wanna grow up, I’m a TOYS R US kid. So, many of us grew up with this commercial jingle and it along with the brand brings back positive memories of celebrating birthdays and holidays. But what happens when a company...more
If you’re “wirkin” to save up the money for a BIRKIN bag, you may be waiting a long time. And it may be just as hard to get an imitation version, based on the recent shutdown of a couple of foreign manufacturers’ attempts at...more
Conventional notions of trademark law suggest that emulating a popular product or service carries certain legal risks. However, a recent federal ruling highlights the complexities of trademark infringement cases involving...more
Recent legislative changes in California have opened up exciting opportunities for cannabis lounges and retailers. With a new law allowing on-premise consumption areas, the sale of food and drinks, and the hosting of live...more
Global E-commerce platforms continue to grow, with many online marketplaces replacing traditional brick-and-mortar stores. While online marketplaces help legitimate products reach consumers more widely than brick-and-mortar...more
Online shopping has become increasingly popular in recent years. E-commerce sales surpassed $6.5 trillion in 2023 and are expected to total over $8.1 trillion by 2026. Convenience of product variety and online competition...more
A recent Canadian decision illustrates how powerful interlocutory injunctions can be for trademark owners involved in trademark infringement litigation in Canada. On January 2, 2024, in Amer Sports Canada Inc v Adidas Canada...more
Tell us about your career path from Aeropostale, Inc. to SPARC Group LLC. - When I joined Aeropostale, Inc. (Aeropostale) in February 2007, I would not have imagined that my career would become what it is today. I was the...more
The holiday season is a pivotal time in the retail sector in both in-store and online forms, presenting retailers with key opportunities to boost revenue. As consumers shop year-end sales, competitors continuously find...more
While both direct and indirect confusion occur in the real world, the use of this distinction in the legal test of a likelihood of confusion is unnecessary. Further, the requirement to explain a finding of indirect confusion...more
Creative expression through the sale of parody-based dog toys has recently caught the attention of the United States Supreme Court. On March 22, 2023, the Supreme Court listened to arguments to decide whether dog toys modeled...more
A basic understanding of Intellectual Property (IP) law is essential to managing an Amazon storefront, as IP issues can be a minefield for the uninformed. Amazon sellers must understand the major forms of intellectual...more
On March 22, 2023, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in the trademark parody case captioned Jack Daniel’s Properties, Inc. v. VIP Products LLC. As we previously blogged, the issues presented in the care are: ...more
On November 21, 2022, the Supreme Court granted certiorari on the following questions described in Jack Daniel’s petition: Respondent VIP Products LLC markets and sells dog toys that trade on the brand recognition of...more
In yet another example of the law trying to keep up with technology, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a decision in Hermès International, et al. v. Mason Rothschild that examines...more
Introduction - Recent technological developments have made topics like the metaverse, Web3, blockchain, and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) commonplace. But nothing about these topics is common....more
Last month, our post about art NFTs and the DMCA highlighted the distinction between non-fungible tokens and the copyrighted works they represent. In the context of copyright, this dichotomy is generally uncontroversial: In...more
Just in time for Halloween, Ferrara Candy Co., owner of popular candy brands such as NERDS, TROLLI, and SWEETARTS, filed infringement suits against companies making and selling cannabis edible versions of their sweet treats....more
As cannabis products become legal in more and more states, commercial interest grows in protecting the trademarks associated with those products. The United States Patent and Trademark Office has maintained its refusal to...more
Despite the trend of state legalization of cannabis and overwhelming market attention paid to cannabis companies, owners of cannabis businesses still cannot obtain federal trademark protection for their cannabis related...more
The Federal Circuit recently sustained the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s (“TTAB” or the “Board”) refusal to register Louis Vuitton Malletier’s (“LVM”) trademark APOGÉE for perfumes, a decision that will concern...more
One of the biggest trademark cases in 2018 addressed the issue of secondary meaning in product design—specifically, Converse’s rights in its signature Chuck Taylor® All Star® shoe. In Converse v. ITC, the Federal Circuit...more
German Federal Court of Justice, ref. no. 5 StR 554/17 - Counterfeiters typically make tremendous efforts to cover up their identity and the details of their actions. ...more
Decision of the German Patent and Trademark Office of 27 March 2018 (ref. no. 30 2013 057 574 – S 33/17/Lösch) - The German PTO has seen the light in the dark of the “Black Friday” battles: The term has been declared free...more